alpine coltsfoot

9.9

A low plant with purple-red flowers that grows from underground stems and spreads to cover the ground

noun

Specialized

: tussilago alpina

Gardeners often use alpine coltsfoot as a groundcover in cool, damp areas.

Examples

In some regions, alpine coltsfoot blooms early in spring before the snow has fully melted.
The rocky slopes were covered in alpine coltsfoot, adding color to the landscape.
The garden was filled with alpine coltsfoot plants.
Do you know how to care for alpine coltsfoot?
Gardeners often use alpine coltsfoot as a groundcover in cool, damp areas.
In some regions, alpine coltsfoot blooms early in spring before the snow has fully melted.
The rocky slopes were covered in alpine coltsfoot, adding color to the landscape.

Synonyms

Homogyne alpina

vsalpine coltsfoot

Specialized

9.9

A small mountain plant with purple-red flowers that forms ground cover

is the same herb sometimes classified differently in botanical taxonomy

Tussilago alpina

vsalpine coltsfoot

Specialized

9.9

A small mountain plant with purple-red flowers that grows from underground stems

is the herb also used as groundcover rather than only a wild alpine plant

Surface Forms

alpine coltsfoot singular

alpine coltsfoots plural

Morphology

alpine + coltsfoot

The compound simply denotes a coltsfoot that is characteristic of alpine (high-mountain) areas, so its meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'alpine' (of high mountains) + 'coltsfoot' (a herb). This adjective+noun combination follows a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Alpine coltsfoot may come from the picture of its leaves and home: coltsfoot because the round, flat leaves look like a 'young horse foot', and alpine because it grows in mountain places. That's why the name helps you picture a small mountain plant with hoof-shaped leaves and early spring flowers.